T-Several Days

I have held off on updating my blog with my daily letters because things have been a little bit confusing (read: emotional) concerning my due date. I am technically due this coming Tuesday 3/13 but the doctor seems to think that there is no way I will be delivering less than a week late. He has not officially changed my due date or anything crazy like that, but I have just decided to mentally prepare to meet this baby on 3/20. If he doesn't come by then he is in big trouble. My mom was originally planning on flying in tomorrow but it looks like she will probably be coming in on Friday 3/16 instead and I feel totally good about that. To be honest, I just can't wait to have her here. I am SO excited to meet this baby and having my mom here to meet him too is SO IMPORTANT to me. Anyway, things are good. I am perfecting the skill of patience... Here is my update from today:

Good Morning Fam Bam!

Yesterday was a fun day. It was mostly full of relaxing and working on a couple of my New Year's goals. I am currently reading a book on nursing and had so much fun doing my reading yesterday while sitting in the baby's nursery, just gliding to my heart's content with a room full of sunshine. The book is very helpful in assisting a new mom in knowing what to expect from nursing and laying out potential problems... I had no idea how many issues we could come up against. Whenever a new mom is asked about breast feeding I feel like her response is always a deep sigh along with 'it is really hard'... like she is too tired to explain what 'hard' means. Now I know that that is probably because there is a book full of things she could be experiencing and she probably IS to tired to explain what 'hard' means. For now, I am just going to keep reading, know my options for support (both the hospital and my pediatrician have a lactation consultant available), and not worry about it. I feel really strongly that there is no use in worrying as long as you're educated.

I also went to a gardening and canning class that was put on by my ward's Relief Society last night and it was really fun. Every time I go somewhere people are surprised to see me now. We weren't at church this last Sunday because we went to Dusty and Alli's baby blessing in NYC so everyone was convinced I had already had the baby and were SO confused to see me round and happy last night. As well as the much needed social time, I learned a lot about gardening and am planning on starting our very own balcony garden at the end of May. As for canning - count me out. It takes way less time for the Jolley Green Giant to toss a pre-labeled, pre-sealed can in my shopping cart than to go through all of the work of canning.

Lastly, Johnny and Leah went into labor last night!! That officially makes me the last pregger (of this January-March wave) standing and I'm darn proud of it. I have an inkling that it will also put me in the lead in the birth-weight category as well. Woohoo! Bring on that notorious Murdock head (they are known for having giant heads - didn't know that when I said 'I do')!! I have about 6 other friends that have had babies in the last two months but these are our close friends. The lineup as it currently stands:

-Brandon and Amanda Berns (NYC) - baby boy Hugo
-Dusty and Alli Boothe (NYC) - baby boy Maxwell
-Josh and Megan Demasters (SoCal) - baby girl Ava
-John and Katharine Peterson (UT) - baby boy Spencer
-Johnny and Leah Jesperson (UT) - baby girl ___?? (we'll know soon!!)
-Insert Michael and Brit here!!!
-Brandon and Chelsea Bishop (SoCal) - due in August

Bring on the babies!!

Love You All!!

Brit

T-13 Days

Family!

We are officially on the countdown with less than two weeks until my due date! I had a dream a couple of weeks ago that the baby would come on Leap Day... so keep your eyes peeled for another email today letting you know he's on his way, lol! No - I don't think today is the day... though I don't really have an idea of what 'the day' will feel like. Yesterday I had another doctor's appointment (I know, it feels like I say that every day) and things looked good! The baby's heart still sounds great, my blood pressure is really good, and I have (knock on wood) actually stopped gaining weight finally! I have been of the mentality that once the doctor says that I am dilated that I can mentally start preparing for things to progress... oh dear did I stand corrected yesterday.

When the doctor came in the room I asked him how his weekend had been, what he had done, etc. He returned the question to which I responded that Michael and I were planning on going into the city but that we had decided against it due to the 80mph wind warnings. He looked at me quizzically and asked, "what exactly were you planning on DOING in the city?" I went on to tell him about the city passes that we have that get us into all of the tourist attractions around NYC since we haven't seen too many of them together. The doctor shook his head and recommended that I probably not do anything that involves a shuttle, a fairy, or anything else that I cannot get off of right away. He also kindly reminded me that the hospitals in NYC have mice, that I would not be treated well, and that he would definitely not be going all the way to the city to deliver my baby. I laughed and told him that I will pay more attention to my restrictions once I'm dilated... wrong answer. He let me know that it didn't matter if I was dilated, effaced, or anything... I could go into labor any second. I guess that was enough to hit home for me because now I've at least thought about how quickly we will be able to get home from the NYC trip we have planned for this coming weekend. I love my doctor - he has a great sense of humor and is incredibly thorough. He is on call on 3/6 and 3/16 so I am hoping that we are lucky enough to see him at the hospital when it is time... preferably on 3/6, but whatever works! I am feeling good and the baby is still moving around like a mad man so we really can't ask for much more. I'm going to go pack my hospital bag now... just in case!

Love You All!

Brit

PS. I have had high hopes of getting through this long list of to do's before today... if anyone wants to volunteer to do it for me that would be great. It's not hard, I just can't do any of it and relax at the same time. So tough.

T-15 Days!!

Good Morning Family!

Michael and I had a fun weekend playing and getting ready for this baby boy to make his big debut. My goal has been to be completely ready for his arrival by February 29th so these next couple of days are full of tons of weird little odds and ends that I don't want to have to think about once he is here. Today is mostly cleaning, paying bills, sending off tax documents, putting one last coat of sealant on the baby's dresser and other highly exciting things. We are having the young single adults over for family home evening tonight so that will also be a lot of fun to get ready for.

I mentioned that Michael and I were going to go to NYC on Saturday but that didn't end up happening. We had warnings for 80 mph winds and were encouraged not to drive more than necessary, lol! 80 mph!? It was pretty crazy. I did, however, have a baby shower thrown for me by my cute ward on Saturday afternoon. It was gentleman themed and I could have DIED from the cuteness. Basically everything was centered around the rules of a gentleman. The hostesses printed out all of the 'rules' of a gentleman and posted them around the room. They were things like, "a gentleman will readily offer his coat or his hand". At the end of the party she had us all take pictures wearing fake mustaches and glasses while holding the rules. There were also extra large cloth bow ties hand made for all of the attending guests to wear throughout the party. I have never seen anything so cute. The details were amazing - from the monogrammed cookies to the die cuts of top hats and old fashioned cars, everyone was in LOVE and I felt SO special that the party was planned for me - and that so many people attended!

The ward also got together to pitch in for a group gift - my dream stroller!! It is SO perfect. The baby LOVES it. When they gave it to me one of the girls said, "you know - you can take it to the fire station or the police station and they will install the car seat for the first time so that it is installed correctly and as tightly as possible." I laughed and told her that I thought it was a great idea but that Michael would never have it. That I knew for a fact that if I were to suggest it that he would be sure I was doubting his strength and masculinity.

When I got home, Michael carried the box upstairs and had it assembled before even setting the box down. He turned to me and asked if I wanted him to install the car seat in the car so that we would be ready just in case. I told him about my friend's suggestion; he looked at me and said, "What? You don't think I'm as strong as a fireman?!?" He then responded to my request of vacuuming the car and took the car seat down to show me how it is really done. I think he had me try and wiggle the seat at least 300 times to show me 'how a fireman wishes he could do it'. Needless to say - my life will never be dull, and the car is ready for action. I should have my bag packed and in the trunk by tomorrow night and then the baby really can come whenever he wants.

My next doctor's appointment is tomorrow so I'm hoping for some progress... but am not really expecting much after he laughed at me last week for asking if I was dilated yet. My super intense walking routine is going to start on Thursday so next week we'll hopefully see some good progress!! Fingers crossed!!

Love You All!!

Brit

PS. 15 Days!! Crazy!! Also - The Pregnancy Journal is the book that I take pictures of every day to send to you and they consider me to be full term at 38 weeks... So there won't be any pictures from here on out because the book ends tomorrow when I hit 38 weeks!!

T-17 Days

During my whole pregnancy I have emailed updates to my family letting them know what is going on with the baby every day. This may sound crazy and excessive, and it may be... but I am really excited. It is also REALLY easy because I have The Pregnancy Journal, a book that gives you a daily update of what is happening with your baby. I typically just take a picture of the book's update, attach it to an email and give my two cents. Anyway, as negligent as I have been with blogging lately, I have still been good at these updates and realized that you may also appreciate them these last 2.5 weeks... So here is for today. I'm actually on day 263 but that update was a little too graphic so I just used yesterday's.

Good Morning Family!

I was talking to my mom yesterday and she told me that my grandma called to make sure I was not in the hospital since I had not sent my update for the day! I didn't even think about how natural of a conclusion that would be to draw! If I do go into labor at any point here in these next couple of weeks I will make sure an email goes out from either Michael or I so that you know.

Last night as Michael and I got ready to leave on a fancy schmancy dinner date he got wide-eyed and said, "THIS COULD BE OUR LAST DATE... EVER!!!" I laughed a lot, applauded his creativity in choosing to do dinner and a Red Box for our last date, and made sweet and subtle "this BETTER not be our last date ever" reminders the rest of the night. He of course meant pre-baby and in that sense, who knows?! So we're going to NYC tonight... just to make sure to get another good one in. I will let you know what we decide to do there and what the baby thinks of it. He always seems to go crazy when we go into the city - Michael and I think it is because our friends Dusty and Alli live there and they just had their baby boy, Maxwell, a month ago. We are certain that these two troublemakers were heavenly partners in crime before making their debuts. Basically, getting them close together again makes him do naughty things - like break his mother's ribs.

The update today mentions that a kick from the baby at this point could practically knock a book off of your lap. That is true. Baby also likes to kick Daddy when we hug, likes to wrestle Mommy's organs when she is relaxing and most of all... push the dogs off of Mommy's belly. He must think it is SO funny because he literally kicks Tank every time Tank tries to get comfy on top of my belly. He's probably just establishing his alpha-male standing or something.

I am off to get ready for my baby shower that my cute ward is throwing for me today!! Can you believe that?? We've been here, what? Like 10 weeks? They are so sweet. Updates tomorrow on how it all goes!

Love You All!!

Brit

PS. Only 17 days till Dday!!

Hello World!

Believe it or not, I am alive and well in Danbury, Connecticut. I spend most of my days bonding with my darling (aka obnoxious, really cute, and sanity-preserving) puppies while adding bits and pieces to my baby's room, watching episodes of Felicity on Netflix, trying to get through all of my 2012 New Year's resolutions by the end of February, and seeing how well I can clean floors and baseboards with a watermelon attached to my midsection. So obviously... too busy to blog... right? I do read your blogs though - and have loved learning about your new babies, darling outfits, and exciting day to day happenings. It's good to remember that my friends are fun... and out there!

Recent highlights in the M+B world from the most current on back:

-Last weekend my dear friend Michelle drove from Virginia to stay with me and drop off the beautiful rocking chair that she refinished for my nursery. It is absolutely PERFECT and I am thrilled to spend my nights rocking my baby to sleep in its arms.

-I've only got 2 1/2 weeks left until my due date and have not progressed toward labor yet but that is normal so all is well. I can't wait to meet this little monster!!!

-I got a new calling at church. Substitute primary worker. At first I was really sad about this calling but I have subbed twice now and have really enjoyed it both weeks.

-We spent an awesome weekend with tons of family at Disneyland for our annual family reunion event fondly referred to as Disneyland Day.

-Michael is LOVING his job at Blue Sky Studios and doing a great job.

-The move was good and we are all unpacked (minus one box that is going to be conquered this weekend)

-I had an AMAZING baby shower hosted by my sweet friends Dani, Merrick, Lauren, and friends. It was more than I ever could've asked for.

Life is lonely but it is wonderful too. All Connecticut is missing is you!

31 Weeks - An Update on Life

29 weeks

The lull here on M+B has been long... and necessary! On December 15th I had my last day working at Sunrise Home Health and Hospice which was SO sad (I LOVED that job) and Michael took his last final. That gave us about 72 hours to do the rest of our packing, load the cubes (luckily we didn't have to make the cross-country drive), be thrown an absolutely ADORABLE baby shower (more on this very soon), and skip town! Leaving American Fork was a sad event. We love our friends and family in the area and are going to miss all of you DEARLY! That being said, driving away from that house was one of the most relieving feelings in the WORLD! I started packing on October 17th and hadn't stopped since then.

Our first stop was in the fabulous Las Vegas where we were generously hosted by my Assistant Mama, Joyce! We got in super late on Tuesday night and were warmly welcomed with hugs and a place to sleep. The next morning my mom arrived from California to spend the next couple of days with us doing a lot of laughing, a lot of eating, and a lot of relaxing - all of which were much needed!! We saw the lights at the race track, went to the cactus garden, celebrated Christmas early, ate Golden Spoon frozen yogurt, painted each others' toe nails, and took the dogs to the park. I just adore Joyce so being able to go and spend time with her in her home was nothing short of a dream.

On Friday morning we woke up early and jumped back in the car to head to spend Christmas with Michael's parents in Irvine, CA. Michael and I are in complete agreement that we will one day retire in Irvine. It has everything you could ever want... including sun 365 days a year. Aaaahhhh... While in Irvine we played hard and ate well. Highlights included a day at Disneyland, a day at Universal Studios, lots of Christmas excitement, taking maternity pictures, Christmas dinner at a seafood place that served animals with eyeballs, and an amazing Chinese lunch. The best part, though, was the company. I love spending time with Chad and Rachel. Their energy is happy and refreshing and they are always genuinely interested in Michael and I while we are with them. They love to do things that they know we'll like (hence the seafood place that serves animals with eyeballs) and they are always interested in what we have going on and what is going on in the world around them. I also LOVED being able to spend time with Stephie (my sister in law) and her two kids Zach and Zoye (I'm an aunt and I love it!). She can make me laugh so hard and is always doing her best to make me as pretty as possible (with cute clothes and doing my hair and makeup). I feel a really strong connection with Stephie and I know that we are in each others' lives for a very specific reason. I love that I can talk to Stephie every couple of months and never skip a beat - it is so refreshing!

The day after Christmas we packed our bags and dogs and headed for the airport. Chad and Rachel offered to travel with us to our new home in Connecticut and I am so glad they did. There was something restless about that plane ride... It could have been my ULTRA swollen pregnant elephant feet... but I think it was the anticipation of the situation. Flying across the country to see your new home for the first time is a little bit unnerving to say the least!!

To Be Continued...

26 Weeks and Happy as a Lark!

Can you believe I'm already 26 weeks along?? You may be wondering what happened to our fun weekly vegetable pictures... Well... rest easy! They are being taken we just haven't quite gotten around to putting them in that cute little format that tells the week number at the bottom and therefore have not been put into circulation. Things up until now have seriously been a dream come true. I have heard the word 'pop' far too frequently lately as people glance down at my tummy... which now contains a basketball-sized uterus... yikes! No wonder it takes 6 weeks for that thing to shrink back into its rightful size!

Baby Murdock is now OVER 2 POUNDS!!! I don't know how I feel about the whole "mom has gained 18, baby has only gained 2" thing but I am right where I should be weight-wise and remember... I measured a week big at my last appointment, lol!! This amazing little one is not only on the charts in weight but can also open and close his eyes and breathe normally! I need a PROUD MAMA pin.

My recent vice has been found in the wee hours of the morning lately when I have been waking up just to feel him wiggle. I am absolutely in love. He has found two ticklish spots so far and uses them liberally when he needs a good laugh/earthquake. Michael is sure I am giving him brain damage when I laugh because of how much it makes him bounce... poor kid. He shakes when I laugh like a bowl full of jelly (name that tune??). He also enjoys kicking the inside of my ribs and just recently located my BLADDER... with his HEEL. He is one funny baby.

I do have to say that one of the hardest parts right now is keeping this little guy's supplies to a minimum... Michael says that we can't buy a lot of stuff before we move across the country because then we have to ship it. Not fun. So I normally pretend I didn't hear him and hide it in the closet. Last week I found little mittens on sale and absolutely HAD to have them... I mean... the BABY had to have them. Everything is just so CUTE when it is tiny!! We also used our Black Friday Kohl's Kash to get a $130 baby monitor for $7! Supposedly it's a really good one and I am thrilled to try it out. It even came with a little motion sensor pad that is meant to be placed under the baby's mattress so that you can tell when he is moving around! Beautiful idea.

Life outside of baby-prep world has been falling into place incredibly. When Michael was offered this job in Connecticut we were thrilled... and clueless... and a little bit scared! I really do think, though, that if something is right for you that things will work themselves out. It is one of the ways that the Lord answers our prayers. Well... we are moving in 2 weeks and as of yesterday had no prospective renters for the house. Talk about panic attack. The man that was supposed to come by in the evening called before hand to let us know that he wouldn't be able to make it and then we had a surprise interest that popped up and asked to come last night as well. As we took her on the grand tour of our place everything just felt right. She seemed reliable, enjoyable, and like she will bring something special to the neighborhood. I felt so good about it that when we sat down in the kitchen after our walk-through I offered her the place without a family pow-wow or anything. I could tell that all three of us were getting great vibes. This morning she called Michael to let him know that she had canceled her current contract and would be ready to move into our place on January 1st!! We will all be getting together on Saturday to sign contracts and make things official. I could not be more thrilled. Back to packing!